Post by gmelinAhem: "Color My World." Yeah, I know, you'll say it's a lovely,
romantic tune, but any fondness it generates must surely stem from the
fact that it was the catalyst for *thousands* of memorable slow-dance
moments (mine included). Take it out of its Junior Prom context and
it's pablum.
I thought it was considered pablum *because* of its junior prom
associations. It was always my least favorite part of the Ballet, but I
still liked it. It was apparently meant by Jimmy Pankow to evoke the
feel of the slow movement of a Baroque-era concerto; he'd apparently
been listening to the Brandenburgs a lot at the time. It may be their
misfortune to have a woodwind player whose best instrument is the
clarinet, though--not much call for that in a rock band, though there is
"Harry Truman." It may also be their misfortune to have a band whose
best horn soloist is the trombonist.
Post by gmelin--and I wouldn't have thought of them going *that* far with the
Post by Jeff BlanksA/C pop, even though I always knew it was in their bag of tricks.
(Though the "Memories of Love" suite on *Chicago*, the same album as the
"Ballet", does stink a bit of Schmaltzy '60s TV Music.)
Yeah.
And I think that's the nub of the issue; people can smell where Chicago
is really coming from, and a big part of it is a sort of music-student
vibe (albeit a "liberal" one) that you don't even get from most
prog-rock bands. That's something most rock purists *really don't*
like. Another part is a real feel for Bachrach-style "grownup" pop
(though apparently it's OK when, say, Everything But The Girl does it).
Post by gmelin_X_ was the last one I got. I pretty much never play it.
Here's a list of stuff at least worth hearing from then on:
"Mississippi Delta City Blues" and "Takin' It On Uptown", Terry's cuts
on *XI*
"Hot Streets" and "Show Me The Way", from *Hot Streets*
"Reruns", from *13*
"Manipulation", "I'd Rather Be Rich", and "The American Dream", from
*XIV*
The duo of "Upon Arrival" (a rare collaboration between Lamm and Cetera)
and Cetera's "Song For You", might be worth a hearing, though you'll
probably HATE "Song For You", despite the breath of life it gives to the
Unexpected Key Change technique at the end (just subtle enough to
matter, not really announcing itself). One problem is that side 1 of
*XIV* follows up "Manipulation" with FOUR ballads. The whole side seems
to get worse as it goes on, though some tunes probably sound better in
isolation.
Post by gmelinCetera was always the weak link for me. That might be why I have a
fondness for "Wishing You Were Here" -- he actually created one that
doesn't suck.
I always was drawn to "In Terms Of Two" and "What Else Can I Say?", his
countrified tunes from *VI* and *III*, respectively. He could probably
pitch those to a nu-country station today and get a serious hearing.
--
"There is no excellent beauty which hath not some
strangeness in the proportion." --Sir Francis Bacon